So…the Superbowl is over, and now we can focus on something important- like the Oscars. My boys and I have always been big movie people. We love to watch them, and we love to critique them. (We don’t make any- that’s for people like Bryan Coley)
Because we love movies so much, we are always discussing which movie, actor, actress, etc. should win that particular year’s Oscar. A few years ago Matthew decided that he had to actually see ALL of the movies nominated for best picture. It hasn’t always happened; we are sometimes hindered by cost (movies are expensive), and other times the rating, but we’ve tried our best to catch what we could. This year is no different. We’ve seen 7 of the 9 nominated movies! (Matthew is determined to see the last two before Oscar Sunday)
This brings me to what I wanted to share. Last night, because Matthew had no homework (never happens) and I was free (also never happens), we went to a movie. We went to see “The Artist.” If you’re not a follower of movies like we are, there are two things you need to know- it’s in black and white, and it’s almost exclusively a silent movie. Yes, silent…I would guess that there is a total of 5-7 minutes of sound in the whole movie.
Before I tell you all the Spiritual significance I saw in this movie, let me just say how ENJOYABLE it was to sit in a movie with no car chases, no explosions, and no expletives. That alone made it worth the price of my ticket! And to make it better, it was also a FABULOUS story and film. I won’t spoil the plot for you in case you want to see it, but you have to know that the main conflict in the story is that “talkies” have hit the movie scene, setting off a series of events (many of them not good) for the lead man in the story- a famous silent movie actor.
This was one of those movies where I could make numerous Spiritual connections, but the most obvious one was this…God is working even when we don’t hear Him. This was a huge revelation/reminder for me last night, as I seem to be in a bit of a dry spell in clearly hearing God’s voice right now. It reminded me of something I taught the kids last year about the period between the Old and New Testaments. Many people called that span of time (hundreds of years) the “silent years.” But here is what I reminded the kids of- God never stops working, even if we’re not ‘hearing’ from Him directly. For that timeframe in biblical history it appears that God stopped talking to His people, but we know – because of what happened (the birth of Jesus)- He was very much at work.
As I watched this movie – in the silence- I realized just how much was going on even with no sound. There was still action - without all the sound effects. The thing that I realized as well is that I had to pay closer attention without the sound. Isn’t this just like our relationship with God too…
If He’s not speaking in a loud voice- or even in a still small voice, we have to pay closer attention. We have to look for the “action” since we can’t hear it.
I’m a talker so I love it when God reaches me that way- just speaking to me. But…I was reminded last night- in a dark theater sitting beside my movie-loving 14 year old- that sometimes the best communication is silent. God is at work. There is action even if I can’t (right now) hear the sound effects. My eyes are more open today and I’m paying attention!
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